Our Company

We are a local company

The RheinEnergie model is based on cooperation with other companies from the Rhine region. Even though it has become a well established player in the German energy market, it remains closely connected to the people and companies in our region.
In recent years, the European energy market has changed considerably due to increased liberalisation. The former local energy provider GEW Köln AG used this opportunity and is now the regional service enterprise RheinEnergie. Together with the strategic minority partner RWE and a network of investments, partnerships and cooperation with energy providers in the Rhine region, we have created a service enterprise for energy and water. This company can also succeed against European competitors without local shareholders losing control of operations.

Bound to the region

RheinEnergie will continue to move forward with its partnership model. It will carry on growing with its current and future partners and remain a reliable and high-performance partner for the people and businesses in our region.

From GEW Köln and GEW RheinEnergie to RheinEnergie

For more than 130 years GEW Köln AG (gas, electric and waterworks) supplied energy and water to the area of Cologne located on the left bank of the Rhine. GEW Köln AG was one of the largest local German public utility companies and was completely owned by the City of Cologne.

In order to be prepared for future competition, GEW RheinEnergie AG was founded as a new company in 2002. The former operative GEW Köln AG transferred shares, personnel and operational business to the new company. It still acts as a holding company and owns 80% of RheinEnergie shares. RGW Rechtsrheinische Gas- und Wasserversorgung AG was also merged into the new company. The RWE Group holds a 20% share and brought investments, customer relationships and networks into the new company. In addition to this, other companies from the region are connected to RheinEnergie under company law or as partners.

Our name

Until the end of March 2005 the full name of the regional company was "GEW RheinEnergie". The abbreviation GEW was retained for the approximately three-year transitional period. This underlined the connection between the new company and the former GEW Köln AG – the company with over 130 years of experience of supplying energy and drinking water. We have now kept a promise by dropping the traditional "Cologne abbreviation": RheinEnergie acknowledges its cooperation as a partner of all cities, local authorities and other companies in the Rhine region.

> "Benefits - Chances - Perspectives" Image brochure (only available in German), PDF download (857 KB)

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